Co-starring Adam Driver and Jonathan Pryce, the adventure comedy had its world premiere at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival and will play in over 700 U.S. cinemas and select Canadian locations for one night on Wednesday, April 10 at 7 p.m. with exclusive bonus features, presented by Fathom Events and Screen Media Films.

“The Man Who Killed Don Quixote” is the story of Toby (Driver), a cynical advertising director who finds himself trapped in the outrageous delusions of an old Spanish shoemaker (Pryce) who believes himself to be Don Quixote. In the course of their comic and increasingly surreal adventures, Toby is forced to confront the tragic repercussions of a film he made in his idealistic youth – a film that changed the hopes and dreams of a small Spanish village forever. Can Toby make amends and regain his humanity? Can Don Quixote survive his madness and imminent death? Or will love conquer all?

Gilliam unsuccessfully attempted to make the film, loosely based on the novel “Don Quixote” by Miguel de Cervantes, many times over the span of 29 years, which made it an infamous example of development hell. He started working on the film in 1989 but was unable to secure funding until 1998 when it entered full pre-production with a budget of $32.1 million with Jean Rochefort as Quixote, Johnny Depp as Toby Grisoni, and Vanessa Paradis as the female lead. Shooting began in 2000 in Navarre, Spain, but a significant number of difficulties such as sets and equipment destroyed by flooding, the departure of Rochefort due to illness, problems obtaining insurance for the production, and other financial difficulties led to a sudden suspension of the production and its subsequent cancellation. The original production was the subject of the documentary film “Lost in La Mancha,” which was intended to be a making-of but was released on its own in 2002.

Gilliam made repeated attempts to relaunch production, but all ended up being canceled for various reasons. Even after the movie was finally completed, he has struggled to release it worldwide partially due to a lengthy legal dispute with a former producer. Subsequently, the film has only been seen in a few countries thus far.

“It took more than two and a half decades to make, and moviegoers have just one chance to experience this film in all its glory on the big screen,” said Fathom Events CEO Ray Nutt. “We are thrilled to provide audiences the opportunity to experience this highly anticipated content in the best way possible, larger-than-life and alongside fellow fans.”

Fathom Events is recognized as the leading domestic distributor of event cinema with participating affiliate theaters in all 100 of the top designated market areas and ranks as one of the largest overall distributors of content to movie theaters. Owned by AMC Entertainment Inc., Fathom Events offers a variety of one-of-a-kind entertainment events, such as live, high-definition performances of the Metropolitan Opera; dance and theatre productions like the Bolshoi Ballet and National Theatre Live; sporting events like Copa America Centenario; concerts with artists like Michael Bublé, Rush, and Mötley Crüe; the yearlong TCM Big Screen Classics film series; and inspirational events.

Fathom Events also takes audiences behind the scenes and offers unique extras, including audience Q&As, backstage footage, and interviews with cast and crew, creating the ultimate VIP experience. Fathom Events’ live digital broadcast network is the largest cinema broadcast network in North America, bringing live and pre-recorded events to 975 locations and 1,578 screens in 181 DMAs. The company also provides corporations a compelling national footprint for hosting employee meetings, customer rewards events, and new product launches.

Screen Media Ventures, LLC, a Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, Inc. company, acquires the rights to high-quality, independent television series and feature films for the U.S. and Canada. With a library of over 1,500 television series and motion pictures, Screen Media Ventures is one of the largest independent suppliers of high-quality TV series and motion pictures to U.S. and international broadcast markets, cable networks, home video outlets, and new media venues.

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